Street indicator



July 21, 1931. D.'TOIMASO STREET INDICATOR Filed Sept. 27 192 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 1"0 MOTOR ,S Djzzaso gwwnto'az- July 21, 1931. s. D. ToMAso STREET INDICATOR :s Sheets-Sheet 2 Fil ed Sept. 27 92 QM Q J u IIIIIIIIII S 4 WWW a. @wv E? E PIIIIIPIIIW ILILI: ,1fr\ &\ Q @N July 21, 11'93 1', 0. TOMASO STREET TNDICATOR Filed Sept. 27

. 1926 35' Sheets-Sheet 3 gwpentoz S. D. j or zas'o Patented July 21, 1931 I sieve-53E enema, emite s een I veicwee define-amt a sepemter 'm'z's. s am na; it's-@2 7.

a device of this kind which is econ-rate and dependable in its operation. i V

" furtheroloje'ctof the invention to tonstr uct thesame with a gea i'in-g Whichjis positive in its operation, eliminating the possibility of variation in the travel of the indicator; i

A still further 'obj'ectoi'the invention is to adapt the same to einengencies and irreghi glarities in the'operating schedule of the vehicle. t

Another object of the invention is to make its operation so simple that it will require no attention except at the ends of the trips or in the event of irregularities in the operating schedule. i

.A final, but nevertheless important object of the invention is to constructthesame ruggedly and in compact form; whereby it may ii ithstand road vibration and take up a mini mum amount of space. o WVi-th the-above objects in, View; and any others that may suggest themselves from the specification and claiins to follow, a better understanding of th'einvention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings rin'whi'ch-.

Fig. 1 is an elevation of cat-or; i

Fig.- 2 is'an interior view of the mechanism compartment, showing its application to the street indicating element; 1F igs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, sectionson the lines 3-7-3 and 44,0fFig. 2; p 4 Fig'fi isa section of a-detail; as taken oil the line 5 5 of Fig; 2 and:

Fig. Gis a diagrammatic view-of .theelectrical circuit, employed by the indicator. Referring specifically to the drawings, 10 denotes the ,casingin which the novel indicatorfis contained. Like the common fare-register, the indicator is hung inside, the front end ot' the car, and carried by the cQndnctor he Qpp nd-w the oalireaoh s the end of the line alidis about" to, start Qh the rxet'urn tripg A the novel In the present showing, the left-hand side i of the casing is reserved for the ribbon 11 on which the names :of the streets'wtobeIindia cted {are printed, in vertical order; and the right-hand [side :ofthe casing contains the 5:2

mechanism- Which operates the ribbon; As

:shbv' n ih Figure 1; the frontal panelIOa is glazed andpertorated 'atkthe center to ei'e posethen-arne {of the street being-approached and the pane-l is also perforated-at the sides to expose advertising matter "carried by the ribbon alongsidethe Streetmam'e column.

The rib-hon 11 is trained ona pair of vertically-spaced spools l2 and 12a,joi1rnaled-on axles 1212, becoming Wound upon one during the oourse 'o'f a trip, and unwound fro nthe sameand ound upon the other spool on the return trip The n otionfof the ribbon is governed by one or the other, of two sprocket rollers 13 and 13a positioned in trontojfthe spools and havingtheirteethlgb meshingwi-th niarginalperforations 11min the ribbon, as in the ease of motion picture film; The spindles of the speols arej freely ,journaled in the lefthand ivalluoit the casing, and a partition 14, but thespindles13c and 13d of sprocket rollersalsoextendfthrough tlie partition to 'repeivenj otive 'ele nents which coine into play 9? ie ete @61 the .o he a p eke o le epending upon the direction of theytrip.

- Beyond the partition 14 isanother partition 15 between-which and the fright-hand Wall of the casing is located the power source for the inoven eht of the ribbon 11, in the form of an electric motor 16. The power of the latter passes through a Worm; and hobrgear comhinatioii 17; avertical shaftl}, a

bevehgear set '19, a horizontal shaft-20 a sfpur jgeafieQl and a spur gear 22 tb a pinion 23 ro- 1 tatable on est-uhshaft 24 projecting from the oo partition M, v The pinion 2'3 has a spur gear enlargement 25 which is in CQHStilflfidnQSh with a large f;SPDIYgearQG carried on thepin 27 of arm 28,; the rear end of rwhich is ipi'v 'tedon th tu s a t 24.; Q e f ce-of the gear 2603x1163 the ringr29 and ;pin 39 of a Geneva moyfiient- Set With which is adapted to selectively actuate either onecjof two'star- Wheel 3- i find; 32; he iorme t being mounted 14, and the latter being mounted on an eX- tension 32a of the sprocket shaft 1301. The star-wheels 31 and 32 are located respectively above and below the ring-and-pin unit 29, 30. Thus, when the arm 28 is in the high position indicated in Figure 3, the upper star Wheel- 31receives the effect of the Geneva movement; and should the arm be swung downwardly the connection with the upper star wheel will be severed and a working connection made with the lower one.

The star wheel 31 has a spur gear counterpart 33, with which is meshed a similar gear 34 carried by the sprocket roller spindle 13c; and the star wheel 32 is directly mounted on the continuation 32a of the sprocket roller spindle 13d.

The gearing between the motor 16 and the pinion 23 is incidental, and may be changed for any other gearing which will bring about the speed and power necessary for the mechanism controlled by the said pinion. The provision of the Geneva movement results in the translation of the continuous motion induced by the motor and the incidental gearing into a stop motion by the sprocket roller 13 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4 when the gears are in the position of Figure 3; and when the arm 28 has been swung downwardly, the connection with the sprocket roller 13 has been broken and a connection made with the sprocket roller 13a, the rotation of the latter being, however, in the reverse direction.

The position of the arm 28 thus determines whether the sprocket roller 13 shall rotate with a predetermined stop motion whereby to take on the ribbon 11 while the sprocket roller 13a freely pays it out; or whether the process is reversed at the same rate. The stop motion is obviously geared to display the names of the streets being approached in regular succession through the frontal panel 10a in registration with the opening therein. Also, it will be evident that the provision of the extra gears 32 and 34 for the sprocket roller spindle 13c-instead of mounting the star wheel gear 33 directly thereonis to secure a motion by the sprocket roller 13 in reverse direction from that imparted to the sprocket roller 13a.

An actuating lever for the reversing arm 28 is provided at 35, being medially pivoted at 36 to the partition 14, and having a link 37 near the front end which is attached to the arm 28. The lever 35 is projected forwardly through an opening 10?) in the casing panel 100 corresponding to the mechanism compartment, so as to be handily reached for reversing the gearing by hand. The partition 14 also carries a small shelf 38 with an extended leaf spring 39, over which a depending finger 35a of the lever 35 is friotionally movable during the stroke of the lever in one or the other direction. The frictional engagement of the lever with the spring maintains the lever in the position to which set, against accidental departure and consequent premature reversal of the gears.

In order that the above apparatus may render the service anticipated automatically, a series of stops 40 carried by the trolley Wire 41 of the railway line are employed to induce the operation of an electrical system diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 6. The stops 40 are so attached to the trolley wire or cross-supports thereof that they do not obstruct the free passage of the trolley wheel; and the spacing of these stops corresponds to that of the streets crossed by the line.

The trolley pole of the car is fitted with a contact switch 42 which is adapted to close momentarily astripped by each stop 40 during the course of the trip, the switch containing spring or gravity means whereby to break the contact immediately as the stop is passed. Since a trolley wire stop and a make-andbreak trolley-supported contact are not new in the art, a detailed description of the representative showing in Figure 6 is not considered necessary. It should be noted, however, that the switch is not in the trolley-wire circuit, but controls a branch of the lamp, pump or other minor circuit in the car. This branch circuit receives its energy by the insertion of a plug 43 into a convenient outlet in the minor circuit.

The element immediately controlled by the switch 42 is a solenoid 44 having a medial tap or terminal in addition to the end terminals. A conductor 45 passes from one terminal of the switch to an end-terminal of the solenoid; a conductor 46 passes from the other terminal of the switch to one terminal of the plug 43; and a conductor 47 passes from the medial terminal of the solenoid to the other terminal of the plug. When the switch is tripped, its momentary closing has the effect of projecting the solenoid plunger 44a outwardly in the direction of the conductor 45, causing a switch arm 48 to close in a receptacle 48a. A circuit is now closed comprising the electric motor 16 (not shown in the diagram, but indicated), a conductor 49 from one terminal of the motor to one terminal of the plug 43, and a return 50 from the other terminal of the plug to the motor. The latter now operates the gearing associated with the indicating ribbon 11, inducing that Geneva movement which is in gear to move through one of its periods and shift the indicating ribbon one section. At this point the star-wheel 32, which acts in unison with the star-wheel 31 through the medium of the positive gearing of the ribbon perforations 1161, trips a spring contact switch 51a in proximityto it, this switchbeing interposed in a circuit comprising a lead 52 ti) the other end-terminal o ftthe solenoid wi l I and a lead 53 to the plug l3; Theeliect of the trip-contact ofthe switch-51a isztocause the solenoid to retract -its plunger Ma.

and? therefore break the motor circuit. T liezmotor slows. downwto a stop. Due to the Geneva movement, the precise stopping timefof the motor is immaterial, asthe star Wheel of the movement will remain still Whileithering-and pin "unit 29, 80 continues in'unotion' the greater part of a revolution. The tripping relation of staravheel' 132 with tlieiiswitchv 51a will therefore be such as to occasion the stoppage ofthe motor well withinthe idling period of the unit 29, 30. The-"mechanismis now inactive until the line stop f0r the=nextcrossing is met,

when the operation is repeated.

When i the end" of the car line is reached, it is my intention to automatically reverse thei travel' fofithe indicating 1 ribbon 11. a The motors and gears general willlcontinue tobp'er'ate as before, but aspecial mechanism will intercede automatically as the ribbon lowinginan'ne-r .to'secure the-anticipated gear reversals The 11001054 is formed into a vertical rod .54asextendinginlthe vicinity of the "spools rand slid able J ini'a suitable bearing 55-: Thejlower ien'dof the rod e lais adapted, whensthenhookfi is down (as in Fig; 2) todepress and trip a springpivoted contact switch 56 ordinarily held open: by'a spring 56a, an'd whenithehook 54: is up, aisiderlugiblb of thesrod 54a trips aiswitch 57isimi'lar !to the switch 56; The momentary closing ofthe switches 56 and" 57 indu'ce's the operation ofa solenoid '58 through a1oir cuitrsimilarto that controlled by the trolley switch; 42* and 51a ini connection with the: solenoid 44,- wherebyuthe plunger 58dof the solenoid 58 will advance when the ribbon 11' has fullyiunwound from the spool -12 'and recede whenth'e spool hasngai'n filled; or, vice versa. The plunger 58a is attached to the reversing lever 35 as indicated at 59 in Figure 3, and the gearing is therefore automatically reversed each time the ribbon has traveled in one or the other direction to the end of its course. 7 p

In order that the ribbon. as supplied by the feeding sprocket roller maybe taken E upby', andcloselyi wrappedon the receiving spool 12: (31"126}, .thcse. spools are preferablyl cone structed'onnthe' order of windowsshade. rolls, ers, the internal springs 120 thereof, indicatedibydotted lines inFig. 2, being long andoffa light gauge fort-he supply of the slight amount often'sion required;

the track switch appears, at which point the push button is released andth'e apparatus resumesits normal operation.

An auxiliary switch 62 to interruptthecom ductor 53 may also be provided, for use when the'switch 61 is actuated. Theopening of the switch 62 makes the repeatedactionot the switch 51a. upon the "solenoidl l ineffective, so that the latter will not'becolne undulyheat cd or otherwise injured from carrying energyduring a comparatively long period.

The novel indicator is thus designedfnot only for normal operation but for emergency adjustment. subject to the condition p eculiar to the operating schedule; terred form of the appliance has. been de scribed and illustrated; but it slrould' be urn derstood' that various minor i changes and "re finenients maybe made in'the practical-dc velopment of the invention without depart ing frolnthe principle thereof; and I'wish to include allisuch changes and refinements as coming within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A crossing indicator for railways comprising parallel spools, an indicating ribbon wound on the latter, i eed sprookets geared: to the ribbon, a motor geared to the sprock ets, a selector in the motor" gearing to "limit the'drive toxone sprocket for the propulsion ofthe ribbon in agivendirection and to the other. sprocketonthe return course, astopmotion element operative in the drive of the selected sprocket, a road-crossing stop, acutin motor switch actuated bythe latter, and'a cut-out motor switch acturdtedby the stopmotion element. I

2; A crossingindicator for railways -com-' prising parallel spools, an indicating ribbon wound on the latter, feed sprockets geared'to the ribbon, a motorgeared to the sprockets, a' selector in the-motor gearing to limit the-drive to onesprocketiforthe propulsion oftherib: bon in a given direction and to the other sprocket .on the returlr 'course;-a stop-motion its izo

element operative in the drive of the selected sprocket, a road-creamy; step, a contact sage and disenga e the reversin device and I. in b b 7 switches to control said electromotive element, said switches being actuated with a tripping stroke by the follower in its extreme positions. 7

4. An operating mechanism for a legendbearing ribbon in a street indicator, comprising a motor, independent forward and reverse drives for said ribbon, a driven Genevamovement element in each of said drives, and a. Geneva-movement drive element geared to said motor and selectively applicable to said driven elements to operate the same with a stop-motion.

5. A crossing indicator for railways comprising a switch incident to the crossing, an indicating ribbon, a motor, a gearing from the motor to operate the ribbon, a solenoid with a medial tap, a switch for the motor controlled by the movements of the solenoid plunger, a circuit of the tap and one terminal of the solenoid controlled by said first-mentioned switch for the closing of the motor switch, an auxiliary switch actuated by the ribbon-operating gearing, and a circuit of the tap and the other terminal of the solenoid controlled by the auxiliary switch for the opening of the motor switch.

6. A crossing indicator for railways comprising a switch incident to the crossing, an indicating ribbon, a motor, a gearing from the motor to operate the ribbon, a solenoid with a medial tap, a switch for the motor controlled by the movements of the solenoid plunger, a circuit of the tap and one terminal of the solenoid controlled by said first-mentioned switch for the closing of the motor switch, an auxiliary switch actuated by the ribbon-operating gearing, a circuit of the tap and the other terminal of the solenoid controlled by the auxiliary switch for the opening of the motor switch, extensions of the motor switch terminals, and a hand-operated switch adapted to bridge such extensions.

7. In a device of the class described, a rotatable, intermittent stop motion indicator driving means, actuating means therefor, cut-oft means for said actuating means, and an element of said indicator driving means having circumferentially arranged projections adapted to engage and actuate said outoli means.

8. llltttttVlttOitllttltlSS(l0Stl'llJ0(l,t10-- tatable intermittent stop motion indicator driving means, actuating means for such driving means, cut-oft means for said actuating means, and automatically operated means for actuating said cut-off means at each stop of said indicator driving means, said automatically operated means having circumferentially spaced projections engageable with said cut-oif means.

9. In a device of the class described, indicator driving means and including a stop motion gear, actuating means for said driving means, a cut-off for said actuating means, and said stop motion gear having a portion adapted to engage and actuate said cut-oif means at the end of each period of movement of said gear.

10. [he combination set forth in claim 9, said cut-01f means being yieldable and constituting a temporary stop abutment for said stop motion gear.

11. In a device of the class described including rolls, an indicator ribbon wound on said rolls, separate drive means operatively engaged with said ribbon and adapted to be driven in opposite directions, drive gearing selectively engageable with said ribbon drive means, actuating means for said drive gearing, cut-oif means for said actuating means, and one of said ribbon drive means having a portion adapted to engage and actuate said cutoff means.

12. In a device of the class described, a ribbon, rolls upon which said ribbon is wound, independent drive elements operatively engaging said ribbon for actuating the same in opposite directions, a driven shaft, an arm swingably carried by said shaft, a gear car ried by said arm and having a driving connection with said shaft, said arm being movable to bring said gear into driving connection with said ribbon driving elements, a lever pivoted to a support, a link connection between said arm and lever, and means carried by said support and tending to maintain said lever in a position to keep said gear in selective engagement with a ribbon driving element.

13. The combination set forth in claim 12, and including driving means for said shaft, and cut-off means for said driving means actuated by one of said ribbon driving elements.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

SALVATORE D. TOMASO. 

